Arup Manchester – Shaping an office for a company that shapes the world
- Arup
- Size
32,000 sq ft
- Services Involved
Strategy & Design
Design & Build
Furnishing
Activity Based Working
Together with Arup, we created a first-class workplace in Manchester to inspire the designers, planners and engineers who create built environments around the world.
Making business a pleasure
If there was ever a company with high expectations for the way their workplace should look, feel and function, it’d be Arup – a firm with more than 14,000 specialists globally, working in every aspect of built environments.
For Arup’s Manchester office, it was about designing a place to inspire its inspiring people, attract and retain the best talent and impress high-profile clients from around the world. It was about transforming the way they work.
Ultimately, we shared a vision to design and deliver the sort of workplace that brings the best out of people, and the business. And in the process, reinforce its position as a global leader in design.
Making a workplace for people makes all the difference
Arup worldwide has specialists across 90 different disciplines, all with specific requirements from their space. We have accommodated 400 employees at 230 desks in their new Manchester office through the introduction of Activity Based Working.
We designed a flexible workplace around focus, collaboration and efficiency. Getting this balance right has changed the way they use their space and how they work.
Our design delivers on performance and aesthetic
With an efficient use of space and strategic design, the look and feel of the new workplace is made to impress. Equally as impressive are the technical features we developed and put in place.
Through CoCreation with Arup, we constructed a sound lab simulator which has become crucial to their work, and winning new, high-value projects.
We created a workplace that captures the brand and sells the business
When visitors walk through the door, they can’t help but say ‘WOW’. It’s the result of design, form and function merging together in harmony to impress everyone – from the people who work there every day, to high-profile visitors from around the world.
It ultimately changes the way they work, tells the Arup story, and attracts the industry’s best talent.
We connected people and place to values
By learning and understanding the vision and values of the Arup Group, our design team was able to work their thinking around the wider company, and take its people on a change journey that aligned with the culture of the organisation.
Following the successful transformation of Arup’s Manchester office, we went on to design and deliver their Glasgow, Nottingham and Solihull workplaces. We also designed Arup’s new Cork office which was the first office in Ireland to be awarded to prestigious WELL Gold standard for improving human health and wellbeing through the built environment.
Impressive in all the right ways
Arup’s new Manchester workplace is testament to the idea that places can inspire. Its unique style not only promotes innovation, but leaves clients and visitors confident in their position as global leaders in design. In fact, their office is now their best strategic sales tool.
Having the pleasure of showcasing their workplace to clients and immersing them in the whole experience has changed the way they do business. From the bespoke fixtures, to the vibrant colours and clean layout, the design creates a professional yet relaxed environment to produce world-class work – and win it.
Their new workplace has played a part in helping them grow to more than double their size in just five years and has led us to deliver their Glasgow, Nottingham, Solihull and Cork offices.
